Critical Review #7: wayne&wax

In a post called a "linkthink," Wayne Marshall writes about the emergence of reggaeton in the digital age. Based on a 4/4 kick pattern and a 3+3+2 polyrhythmic snare pattern, reggaeton can be easily made with simple computer music software, such as Fruityloops. Marshall was introduced to the genre while substitute teaching, (he even includes a sound snippet of himself rapping at kids to sit down and start their work) and he portrays the music as extremely resonant with the youth he instructed.

One of the keys to reggaeton for Marshall is the interchange of snare sound every 8 or 16 bars. He sees the "timbral change" as something intrinsically electronic and digital, something only accomplishable on computers. Producers acquire massive libraries of snare sounds from friends or from the internet, adding to the universal accessibility of the genre.

I especially liked Marshall's use of screenshots (taken in Fruityloops) to illustrate the music he was describing. It added to the universal feel and accessibility of the beat and samples he was talking about, and gave a visual representation of what it looks like to "draw up" a beat.

Discussion Questions:

Marshall suggests that "it would seem only a matter of time before unremarkable synth textures and one-finger melodies are replaced by the vibrant strains of salsa samples, indian flutes, and whatever else one wants to fit into its solid template." Has reggaeton become the "omnigenre" that Marshall predicted? What should we make of the "omnigenre" model, and how closely can one genre own a beat (think bhangra, jungle, Wilson Pickett)?